Albuquerque Adds 29 More Officers To Police Force - Associated Press
Albuquerque officials say 29 more officers are joining the city's police department.
The new hires joined the police force in New Mexico's largest city after a ceremony Tuesday.
Mayor Tim Keller says the city is on track to hire 100 more officers in the next year under a plan to hire cadets who are just starting their careers in law enforcement and lateral hires. Lateral hires include officers already working in other police departments.
The city has contended with an officer shortage for years.
The 29 officers who joined the Albuquerque Police Department on Tuesday are lateral hires.
Officials say 34 Albuquerque cadets are expected to graduate from the police academy in December.
New Mexico Democrat Condemns 'Sexist' Tweet, Video Ad – Associated Press
The campaign of Democratic New Mexico gubernatorial candidate Michelle Lujan Grisham is describing an attack ad and tweet against her as sexist and seeking an apology from the state Republican Party.
Lujan Grisham's campaign staff described as disrespectful Wednesday a Republican Party tweet commenting on Lujan Grisham's makeup during a televised debate and comparing her looks to Richard Nixon. The tweet was removed.
A GOP video splices together news footage of crime scenes with images of Lujan Grisham skating, dancing, hula hooping and being held aloft by the Democratic state attorney general.
State GOP Chairman Ryan Cangiolosi says the video is about Republicans' belief that Lujan Grisham is not up to the challenge of being governor. He said Lujan Grisham's campaign feigned outrage to divert attention from allegations of corruption.
Authorities Say 2 Killed In Plane Crash Were From Albuquerque – Associated Press
Authorities say two Albuquerque residents were the pilot and passenger killed in the crash of a light plane west of the city.
The New Mexico State Police said Wednesday that 68-year-old Michael Vavrek was the pilot and 67-year-old Judy Vavrek was the passenger.
A State Police spokesman, Officer Ray Wilson, said they were believed to be a married couple.
Albuquerque Fire Rescue spokesman Tom Ruiz said Tuesday the plane was planning to land at the Double Eagle II Airport when the pilot called in to say the aircraft wasn't going to make it to the runway.
Candidates For New Mexico Governor Clash During Debate - By Morgan Lee, Associated Press
Democratic gubernatorial contender Michelle Lujan Grisham sought to tie her Republican rival to President Donald Trump's policies, while Congressman Steve Pearce warned against a return to Democratic "corruption and cronyism" of the past.
Reps. Lujan Grisham and Pearce faced off Tuesday night in a rancorous town-hall style debate -- the first since early voting started Oct. 9. They are competing to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Susana Martinez.
Pearce warned that his Democratic opponent would take New Mexico back to the excesses of the Richardson administration that ended in 2010 with Martinez's election.
"I think we have all suffered enough embarrassment," Pearce said, alluding to a pay-to-play scandal that surfaced during Bill Richardson's second term.
Lujan Grisham noted that she ran state health agencies under three prior governors that included Richardson and Gary Johnson when he was a Republican.
She called the attacks on her nonsense, while accusing Pearce of starving crucial government programs of federal funding in cooperation with President Donald Trump and a Republican-led Congress.
The hour-long debate, which was sponsored by KOB-TV and the nonprofit group New Mexico First, touched on a wide range of concerns about New Mexico's economy, crumbling rural highways, dwindling fresh water supplies and marijuana.
Former AD At UNM Has Credit Card Records Seized In Probe – Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press
Authorities have seized the credit card records of former University of New Mexico Athletic Director Paul Krebs as they search for evidence of possible money laundering, fraud and embezzlement.
The Albuquerque Journal reported Tuesday that the state Attorney General's Office served a search warrant on Krebs' credit card company.
According to the newspaper, authorities are trying to determine whether Krebs made a $25,000 donation to cover the school's loss on a 2015 Scotland fundraising golf trip.
Last year, New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas launched an investigation after it was discovered the university used nearly $25,000 in public money to pay some private donor expenses on the Scotland trip.
Krebs became the athletic director in 2006 and retired last year.
He has said the Scotland trip was meant to strengthen relationships with donors.
The university has never publicly revealed the source of the donation, despite repeated questions from investigators and media outlets.
Language App Adds Navajo Courses - KOB-TV, Associated Press
A popular language-learning app is adding Navajo to its portfolio.
KOB-TV reports that Duolingo has begun offering Navajo, or Dine, as a language option for learning on the mobile app.
Clayton Long, who is the head of the bilingual education for San Juan School District in Utah, tells the station that he and his students collaborated to develop the language lessons on the app.
The first of the courses were unveiled last week.
Long says a total of nine lessons he and others developed will be released in the coming months as part of the ongoing Duolingo project.
Judge Rejects Ex-Priest's Request For Release Before Trial – Associated Press
A federal judge has rejected a former New Mexico priest's request to be released from jail as he awaits trial.
The judge's decision Tuesday in Albuquerque comes after attorneys for 80-year-old Arthur J. Perrault sought his release to a halfway house. They argued that Perrault suffers from health issues and should not remain detained.
Perrault was taken into U.S. custody last month in Morocco.
He is facing charges of criminal aggravated sexual abuse and abusive sexual contact. The charges stem from assaults that federal authorities say happened decades ago at Kirtland Airforce Base and Santa Fe National Cemetery.
He has pleaded not guilty.
New Mexico GOP Candidate Provides Tax Highlights - Associated Press
Republican New Mexico gubernatorial candidate Steve Pearce and his wife have published summary pages of their 2017 federal and state tax returns.
The Pearce campaign made public four pages of the couple's tax return on Tuesday, offering a new glimpse into the personal finances of a congressman who made his fortune in the oilfield services business.
The federal tax return shows a total tax assessment of $33,111 on taxable income of $255,620. Adjusted gross income was $431,114.
The Democratic candidate for governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, posted five years of lengthier tax returns in late May.
New Mexico Concerned About Contamination At US Air Base - Associated Press
Chemicals associated with firefighting foam once used at a U.S. Air Force base in New Mexico have been detected in groundwater on and near the military installation.
The New Mexico Environment Department confirmed the contamination Tuesday, saying officials at Cannon Air Force Base notified state environment, health and agricultural officials about the compounds.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, have been detected in a small number of the 19 off-base wells tested so far. Some of the wells supply water to local dairies.
The Air Force is making bottled water available for drinking and cooking for residents who rely on wells that exceed levels set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The compounds have been detected in on-base monitoring wells at concentrations more than 370 times the lifetime federal advisory level.